


Smooth

by PolzkaDotz



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Diary/Journal, Jean is French, M/M, Marco is Italian, One Shot, btw the title... i just didn't have any idea what to put, can i tag it as friends being assholes? nah, guys i was bored. i'm sorry, i cant believe that's a real tag, i dont fucking know how to summarize things I'M STUPID, teens and up because EVERYBODY'S GOT A POTTY MOUTH SO GROSS PEOPLE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-08 06:03:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1929453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolzkaDotz/pseuds/PolzkaDotz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please!" Marco said, brown eyes shining with unshed tears. "I need to pass this class. Please, help me."<br/>Professor Zoë made a thoughtful face and snapped her fingers so suddenly that Marco jumped a little with surprise.<br/>"You could make a journal'!" she exclaimed, voice bright with enthusiasm.</p><p>Marco Bodt is failing English and his teacher let him write a journal to help his final grade. However, in the only day that he actually vent on the notebook, his friends - and his crush - find out that he sometimes signs his name as Marco Kirschtein-Bodt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smooth

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everybody! Firstly, I wanted to thank you for reading this note/fic, but I wanted to thank tumblr user [lifeofalostelf](http://lifeofalostelf.tumblr.com) for proof-reading this. Parakeet is such an angel.  
> Secondly, I wanted to warn you that I have no idea how schools work. And if a teacher wouldn't let a student turn a journal as a valid work or whatever just... just keep in mind that the teacher is Hanji. She's cray cray and she knows Marco is a sweetheart and everything and she just wants to help him, okay?  
> Thirdly, I'm a dweeb. I saw a post on tumblr saying something like "imagine your OTP in a fic where someone read their diary/journal" and I instantly thought about humiliating Marco.  
> Fourthly (is fourthly really a word? whoa), uh... just... enjoy. I'm shutting up now.

Marco Bodt was failing miserably in English.

It wasn't really a surprise since that wasn't his first language, but he couldn't afford another failed class, not this year. His parents finally allowed him to have the birthday present he wanted most - a trip to France -, but Marco knew that he would have to say bye bye to his dream of seeing the Mona Lisa up-close if he failed English. And bye bye to all those cute French guys and the trip to Disneyland that he had pined for, for a really long time.

Damn it. Why did they have to move to America? They should have stayed in Italy. He knew Italian. He wouldn't fail in English _there_.

Uh... Well. Marco _probably_ wouldn't fail in English there, at least.

So that was why he stayed behind to beg his teacher, Professor Zoë, for a chance to do maybe some project, another test, _anything_ that didn't let that F be his final grade. She didn't look impressed with his effort, though.

" _Please_!" Marco said, brown eyes shining with unshed tears. "I need to pass this class. Please, help me."

Professor Zoë made a thoughtful face and snapped her fingers so suddenly that Marco jumped a little with surprise.

"You could make a journal'!" she exclaimed, voice bright with enthusiasm.

"A journal?" Marco repeated hesitantly.

"Yes. Don't worry, I don't have to read it if you don't want me to, but I want you writing... wait a minute." Professor Zoë dug through the contents of her drawer until she found a notebook with a black cover. She grinned and offered the notebook to Marco, who took it reluctantly. "I want you writing in it every day for two weeks. At least four pages per day, front and back of it."

"What!" exclaimed Marco, a little panicked.

"One of the problems with what you write, Bodt, is that you're write the same nonsense repetitively. You just put whatever in your papers and then hand it to me. I don't know how you expected good grades with those things, seriously. So maybe writing about something as simple as your routine is going to be easier."

Marco cringed a little. "And writing about my routine every day is going to get my grade up?"

"If it's in English and you show it to me in the next day - only to count the pages, don't worry - then yes, it will."

Marco clutched the notebook fiercely to his chest, and nodded at his teacher with a determined expression. "I will do it."

And he did, though he suffered through it a lot. He passed his lunch break writing in the journal so he wouldn't have to write so much at home. Sometimes, he would write even during classes, but he usually felt guilty for doing that. Professor Zoë had said that she wasn't going to read what he wrote (she kept her promise and even took her glasses off while she counted the pages, "So I won't catch anything"), but he was still careful. His handwriting always had been big and sloppy, but all those pages he had to complete were still a battle. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were a struggle to finish, but he completed four pages of conversations he had with his friends, unusual situations he saw on the streets, movies he wanted to see badly... basically any crap that crossed his mind.

Thursday was the day he overworked, though.

"There are seven pages." Professor Zoë's voice was slightly impressed. 

Marco sighed. He tried his hardest to write things that were personal, but not too personal. He stressed over the possibility of having someone accidentally finding his journal and reading it, so he tried to keep his secrets away from it, but today was a bad day. Jean Kirschtein, a guy famous for being good at winding up Marco's friend Eren Jäger, had once again tried to ask Mikasa Ackerman, Eren's adopted sister, out. And Jean failed miserably out of awkwardness.

Eren laughed, Jean got angry, they argued and almost got into a physical fight, Mikasa intervened and Jean stormed out. As soon as Jean wasn't around anymore, Eren started to trash talk him. No one at the table contributed, but Marco was dying to defend the guy. The only reason he didn't was because Eren would probably raise hell and ask why he was defending him. And Marco wouldn't want to admit that it was because he had a big, huge, ginormous crush on Jean. Probably because even though Jean's English was perfect, he would show a faint French accent anytime he got upset, and Marco always went a little weak in the knees hearing it.

So Marco used that day to vent on Jean's awkwardness and his secret crush, being sure that he would've said yes if he had been asked instead of Mikasa. He would probably be blushing and giggling, and Jean would tell him to shut up, probably scowling at the ground, and Marco would only smile, feeling his chest being flooded with warmness and...

"Yes, seven pages." Marco confirmed to his teacher carefully. "I just had a lot to vent."

"Okay" she shrugged and dismissed him.

Marco went out of her classroom with his journal cradled in his chest, his shoulders dropping a little depressingly. The classes were over and Marco was going to walk home having nothing to distract him from his miserable thoughts, since he forgot his headphones at home. Marco was already in the parking lot, journal long forgotten in his arms when he heard a voice calling him. Marco saw all of his friends bundled in the front of their school chatting, and he headed there to at least say goodbye. He wasn't feeling sociable at the moment anyway.

It was Reiner who had called him, a tall blond football player that was physically intimidating but so friendly that it like a stereotypical blow. Marco returned his greeting with a crestfallen "Hi", but Reiner didn't even noticed his tone, only his notebook.

 _Of course_ he was going to notice the notebook.

"What's that?"

Marco felt his stomach dropping to the pavement, and his breath hitched on its way out.

"It's... uh... extra credit for English." 

"Ohhh, you were bombing that class, right?" Reiner smiled sympathetically at him. "What do you have to do with it?"

Marco felt himself pale.

"I have to write in it four pages every day." he answered cautiously, clutching the journal more firmly against him. By now, all of his friends were paying attention to him (Mikasa, Eren, Armin, Annie, Bertl) and most of them were giving him comforting looks. 

Reiner on the other hand had a mischievous look on his face.

"Am I in it?" he wanted to know. 

"Uhhhh" replied Marco, blushing, and that was answer enough. In the blink of an eye, Reiner darted forward and snatched the notebook from Marco's hold, ignoring his desperate cry of "No! Reiner, please, no!"

But Reiner continued to ignore him, and when Marco tried to take the journal back, his hands got trapped in Reiner's big hand. One hand was enough to trap him, even though Marco's hands weren't exactly small.

"Reiner, give it back to him" Bertl tried to take the notebook himself, but Reiner took it out of his reach just in time.

"I just want to see what Freckles wrote about me, Bertl, relax" he said, and started to fumble through the pages, looking for something that assembled his name. Instead, his eyes stuck on the last page, and Reiner read out loud what caught his attention. "Marco Kirschtein-Bodt."

Marco felt his face getting redder as Reiner read through it, and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't see the emotions crossing his face. His group of friends were quiet through it, and Marco knew no one was going to try to take the notebook from Reiner's grip now that they were curious.

"Marco..." Reiner said after a while with a hollow voice. Marco kept his eyes closed. "Maaaarcoooo!"

"What, Reiner?" Marco asked tensely.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Reiner screamed, and Marco was so surprised that he opened his eyes wide. "YOU'RE PINING OVER KIRSCHTEIN!!!"

"WHAT" Eren screamed back, shocked, and all of their expressions seemed to agree with him (with the exception of Annie, who still looked bored).

"MARCO'S GOT A CRUSH ON JEAN KIRSCHTEIN" Reiner repeated, and started to laugh maniacally. Eren took the journal from Reiner's loose grip, and he read what Marco had written about today, his expression getting wilder and wilder.

"MARCO!" Eren yelled when he finished. " _WHAT THE FUCK_ , MAN!"

Marco buried his face in his hands when Reiner started to chant "Marco's got a crush on Kirschtein, Marco's got a crush on Kirschtein". He was contemplating his luck on having befriended a junior in high school that still had the mentality of a middle schooler. It was enough, really, and he was ready to leave the spot without taking his journal back when Bertl said "Oh my God..." in a soft voice, and Reiner stopped his singing abruptly.

Marco slowly lifted his head from his hands and looked at his friends, confused. They were all looking at something behind him though. Marco's blush left his face with the mortified expressions some of them had, and he turned around unhurriedly, already knowing what was there but still trying to brace himself for the disaster.

However, he failed. Jean was there with a blank expression, glaring slowly at all of them in the group before his eyes fell onto Marco's.

"Marco's got a crush on Kirschtein?" Jean repeated in a dead voice, and Marco's breathing stopped. 

Marco would like to think that he got out of that situation pretty smoothly, but today wasn't his day. Fortuna was running away from him like he was the plague, obviously, so his body decided what to do for him in his place, and everything went black.

Marco was used to fainting in stressful situations, but at least that time their friends were there to catch his falling body. Reiner apologized over and over when he came back to himself, and even Eren blurted out a choked "Sorry", but Marco simply looked around, retrieved his journal from the ground and went home, noticing that Kirschtein was long gone and no one offered to explain where he went. Marco guessed that he was probably disgusted about the whole thing, and didn't even want to stick around once he regained consciousness to ask if he was okay.

He didn't have to write anything about the next day since he used almost ten pages to just explain the whole thing and pour his miserableness out, and Professor Zoë was even more impressed. Marco didn't cared though, because now Jean seemed to have disappeared from the school. Armin had a class with him today, and he casually informed Marco over lunch that Jean apparently skipped school.

Marco didn't react. He continued to eat mechanically, and his friends left him alone.

That weekend and the following week had four pages each day, and Marco was back to struggling with writing. He tried to talk about how excited he was for his trip, since his parents were already planning everything for him, but he couldn't. Jean Kirschtein was the one running from him like he was the plague now and there was nothing Marco could do about it.

The end of the semester passed pacifically. Marco got better with the time, though not over his crush. He got used to how he never saw Kirschtein around the school anymore. Jean even left Eren alone, and their break for lunch ran peacefully now. Nevertheless, sometimes Marco would turn into a corridor and find Jean chatting with Armin and looking flustered. He never mentioned it to his friend, let alone asked what they talked about, and always made sure to hide away before either of them saw him.

With the end of semester came Marco's birthday present, and he was excited. A friend of his mother was going to get him at Charles De Gaulle Airport, and he didn't even mind the 10 hour plus flight. He was going to France and he was happy about it.

As soon as he sat in his seat, he fell asleep. He had no idea for how long, but when he woke up, the seat at his right was empty and the seat at his left was occupied by... by...

"Hey." Jean greeted him with a smirk. "How are you doing?"

"What are you doing here?!" Marco blurted out, and his tongue twisted his tone, making him sound drunk.

Jean arched one eyebrow. "It's kinda obvious what I'm doing on a plane going to France, Marco."

"No, no that" Marco tried to gather his thoughts. "What are you doing _here_ , in this seat. You weren't here before I fell asleep, I'm sure of it."

"Well, no." Jean agreed. "I was in the front. You didn't even see me when you got on."

He was right, Marco didn't. He wished he had now, since it would have left him less shocked and more prepared to how hot Jean was looking. He was using a green shirt with a black cardigan half hiding it. His eyes were brighter and more yellowish, probably because of the shirt. His jeans were dark and skinny, and he had black sneakers on. Marco saw all that with a quick overall look before he got back to Jean's face. He thought he had been subtle, but Jean had a glint in his eyes that said otherwise.

Marco blushed lightly and looked down. And then he noticed.

"You didn't answer me." He remarked, slightly amused.

It was Jean's time to blush a little, but he didn't avert eye contact.

"I asked the man that was here if he could let me have some alone time with my boyfriend."

Marco's eyes widened and his mind went still for a moment. "Oh no, you didn't."

"I did" Jean said maliciously. "He was so happy to help a friend... Even happier after 20 bucks..."

"You paid someone to leave us alone?!" Marco was astonished. "Why?"

"Because I heard someone saying that you had a crush on Kirschtein" Jean informed, and his voice was lower now, and a bit hoarse. Marco gulped. "And I wanted to know what your intentions with my sister are."

"I... I don't know your sister." Marco replied, confused. Jean grinned at him.

"Soooo you don't have a crush on my sister?"

Marco's blush had been fading, but was back at full force at that.

"I don't." he replied with a soft voice.

"Ew, you don't have a crush on my mom, do you?" Jean's face was distorted in mocking distaste. "I mean, she is beautiful and her French accent is fucking sexy, I'll admit, but it would be really fucked up having you as a step-dad-"

"Oh my God, I don't have a crush on your mom!" Marco finally interrupted him, hiding his face behind his trembling hands. Jean's soft laugh was something that he'd never had the pleasure of hearing, and his brain obsessively recorded it. 

"You don't?" said Jean, with a lightly confused voice, but Marco knew he wasn't really confused since he could a faint amused tone in it. "Well, I'm out of Kirschteins. Unless there are more in our city that I haven't met yet."

"You forgot one Kirschtein." Marco's reply was muffled by his hand, but understandable.

"Which one?" Jean's voice was close enough that Marco could feel his breath in the back of his hands. Cold fingers touched him then, and he let Jean move his hands away.

Marco gulped and muttered "You".

"Man." Jean said, frowning a little. "That's gay."

Marco burst out laughing, and Jean seemed proud of making him laugh like that. Marco was ready to add something, anything, but Jean's lips stopped him with a kiss.

The kiss was sweet, and Marco slowly let Jean take his nervousness away with it, searching hands going to scratch lightly at Jean's undercut. The kiss didn't last long enough for him to be satisfied, and when Jean pulled away, his eyes stayed closed for a moment. When Marco finally let himself look at him, Jean was staring back with a smug expression.

"Oh yeah, this went smoothly." Jean beamed.

"Much smoother than when you tried to ask Mikasa out" Marco agreed, making Jean groan.

"Mikasa doesn't count. She's fucking scary. I was intimidated."

"And I don't intimidate you" Marco stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Nay, you're a sweetheart" Jean smiled gentily, and Marco smiled back.

"And still I'm not sweet enough to deserve a proper date before the kissing thing, or even a proper invitation. I'm feeling so underrated." before Jean could protest, Marco took his phone out of his back pocket with the hand that had still been holding Jean's hair. "C'mon. Give me your sister's number. Your mother's too. I'll give them a shot."

"You're not going to call my sister or my mother" Jean growled, and Marco almost died with the faint French accent in his voice. "You're going to ask for your _boyfriend's phone._ You know, the guy you're _really gay_ for."

"Ohhh am I? Where is he? Introduce me to him, since I don't know him yet." Marco's voice had an innocent tone that made Jean grunt with frustration.

"I _am_ your boyfriend" he hissed, irritated. "At least until the flight is over, anyway."

"And what happens _after_ that?" Marco teased, smiling sweetly.

"That is up to you." Jean said, looking down and scowling at their laps. "If you'd like to hang out in France or whatever."

"Jean, that wasn't very smooth."

"Shut up and just answer."

Marco thought about commenting on the contradiction, but he thought better and simply smiled.  
"I'll like that a lot, yes."

 


End file.
